Game 1 Part 1 Coming to Venus
Set up Introduction Far from Earth, 42 million kilometers at its closest approach, the planet Venus hangs in the void. What had once for so long been land enveloped in an eternal swirling cloud of death now stands a world of seas, deserts, mountains, jungles....and humans. Aboard the interplanetary mass transit ship, the Abeona, thousands of passengers are being woken up for the final time during their long transit between the two bastion of human life in the solar system. Here was a place that so many people have traveled to make new lives for themselves. It is also a place where so many hopes and dreams have been shattered against the planet's harsh and formidable landscape. Still, there is a vibrancy that has been growing for a long time. Venus has long been recognized for its just out of reach potential. Perhaps things will be different this time for Florence Greenwald, a reporter for the Global Press, the most independent paper on Earth. Character The Reporter, Florence Greenwald * She works for the Global Press. She is looking for her contact on Venus, Doc Mulden, the bartender. * She as been having a rough time getting to her contact, but she is elated to finally have found his establishment. She isn't sure what he will offer her yet * She has very little knowledge or understanding of Venus aside from what she has read about, mostly basic history, its major corporations, and its politics, however she almost zero first hand experience with any of these subjects. Greenwall Bar ] Scene- Inside a cellar bar called Greenwall near Old Republic Tower, the oldest government building in Io (though it is mostly ceremonial at this point), Florence walks down dimly lit steps. Though narrow, the bar stretches back deep into the Ionian mountain side. It is cramped but almost cozy. Most of the furniture and interior is made from hydroresin, the same drab substance coating the buildings of Io to protect them from the drastic weather and acid rain. These deep cellar rooms were designed for rare but dangerously acidic Halja Rains. The city of Io is no longer prone to such weather, so many of these cellars have been hijacked and repurposed for other uses. Steps stretching from wall to wall appear every 20 feet as the cellar goes both back and downwards into the stone. The first tier is bar level, with the counter to the left. To the right is a series of old arcade games and gambling machines. The second tier has a series of tables in the middle and booths to the sides. Hanging above the third set of steps are a cluster of vidscreens. The third tier is similar to the second but a false wall with a door covers the rest of the cellar. The bar is full of men and women cheering, booing, and screaming at the vidscreens as a destructive game of motor races plays. Money is passing hands and drinks are being slammed. The crowd consists mostly of local city folk dressed in a mixture of fashionable street clothes and labor overalls. The match must be particularly riveting as the front bar area is almost completely clear save for [http://venus-wars-mecha-rpg.wikia.com/wiki/Doc_Mulden the Bartender] and The Wastelander ''sitting at the far end of the counter. The Bartender looks out of place with traditional dress compared to the dreary look of the establishment, sporting butler style livery. He has a thin mustache above a sly but inviting smile as well as dark thinning hair combed to the side. ''The Bartender nods to Florence. She recognizes him from the description she was given by her contact on Earth. As she comes closer to the bar, he asks her, "What can I do for you miss?" Florence replies, "I'd like a dry martini with a Mediterranean olive", her code phrase. The Bartender smiles more than he was before and says, "Sorry miss, this is a cellar bar, we don't sell above ground food" Its the code phrase reply she had been waiting to hear after 3 months of interplanetary travel, harassment from customs, and bribes to every cop who could tell she was a Earther newcomer. Florence''' says, "So you're my contact on Venus, finally." She had no idea how he was suppose to help her, but her friend in the Global Press had given her a tip he said should wouldn't regret. This might officially be a slightly expensive puff piece on 'Life on Venus', but the Reporter knew that there was something much more exciting, and front page worthy, than following some locals around. Characters The Bartender, Doc Mulden * Somewhat strange, but friendly. Speaks bluntly but politely. If he can find value in you, he will quickly become much more informal and can even be a bit of a big mouth. * He has maintained this bar for most of his life and has heard a lot of things. His bar brings in middle and lower class citizens of the city, but also a few politicians who drift in from their occasional meetings at the Old Republic Tower. * He is morally neutral, preferring not to take sides but instead profit from everyone. He is much less interested in the information he has than he is the money it will make him. Regardless, he does love his bar, so anything he thinks will directly threaten it will concern him. The Wastelander * He stays quiet and mostly keeps to himself. However, his need for work drives him into the cities to offer his service as a guide in the wastes. He normally doesn't come this far into the heart of Aphrodia, but a contact of his offered him good pay for what should be a fairly easy job. * His appearance and demeanor are enough to tell people that he is not from the city, but from out in the wastes. Wastelanders are usually treated with a mix of respect, fear, and disdain. They are hardy people, so their skills and abilities are not to be trifled with. However, they are often thought to be uncivilized or even violent. Since they are not citizens but live within Aphrodia's borders, some people see them as an obstacle to solidifying the national boundaries. Event The bartender, named [[Doc Mulden|'''Doc Mulden]], is willing to discuss matters with Florence, but only after he has been compensated. He will remain pleasant and play coy, even if he isn't paid, though he won't give up anything without it. He will take money or rare goods. Once compensated, Doc Mulden will tell Florence that he has a hot tip about a salvage crew preparing for a haul. Though salvage might not sound particularly interesting or politically important, word on the street is there is a major contract being offered off the books. Doc's own sources say that an executive from an Earth company known as Petrov Heavy Industries had been asking about the contract, though it seemed as if he was not involved in it directly. He is waiting for an employee of the salvage crew to show up so that he can introduce her. The contract isn't for another 2 Shifts, but the salvager is a regular here. * If he is rewarded handsomely, it will add +2 to Investigation or Streetwise skills to get extra information from him beyond what he originally had to offer. * An Investigation or Streetwise skill test (threshold 3) will reveal that armed private security were seen with the PHI exec, meaning that he must be very important (1 MoS), that the salvage contract is worth 10 times as much as a typical haul (2 MoS), and that the salvage contract likely was issued by radicals in the city who have been looking for evidence that the government is corrupt, though how the haul will reveal this is unknown (3 MoS). * Failing the test will not have any negative effects regardless of MoF aside from not revealing more details, though a Fumble will cause Doc to mock the person for not knowing Venus too well. * A Business Skill test (threshold 2) will remind the player that Petrov is one of the largest and most powerful companies on Earth and has many investments on Venus as well. PHI is an industrial company that makes everything from toasters to tanks. A MoS of 3 or more will remind the character that Petrov has a long history of working in tangent with the other largest companies to manipulate the Euro-American Union, and has been known to be very underhanded when dealing with trouble.